Orioles' attendance woes hurt all of Baltimore: Michael Olesker, Examiner

[natsfan1a]

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Some of us went to Washington the other night to watch a baseball game and bid farewell to an old ballpark before its doors close forever, and to ponder the effect on the Baltimore Orioles in what has become their annual autumn of discontent.

The fledgling Washington Nats were beating up on the first-place National League East team, the New York Mets, 12-4, in the same hour that the forlorn Orioles were losing to the New York Yankees, 8-5.

Complete story here:

http://www.examiner.com/a-943070~Orioles__attendance_woes_hurt_all_of_Baltimore.html

[CALSGR8]

I made my comments on the subject on that site.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Cry me a river.  Thats all I need to say.

[OldChelsea]

Washington and Baltimore are separate communities - separate metro areas (per Census Bureau), separate media markets (per Nielsen and Arbitron), and more. It's not the responsibility of Washington residents to prop up Baltimore businesses (or vice versa).

If Peter Angelos wants more people attending Orioles matches, he needs to stop being such a control freak, get good baseball people into the front office, and build a winner. People aren't going to pay major-league prices for minor-league baseball.

[The Chief]

Cry me a river.  Thats all I need to say.

Pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter as well.

Reading some of the comments on the site, you'd be surprised how many Nats-haters seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that the team is contractually locked in to DC for another 27 years.  Pretty much every O's site or article you go to, there's somebody claiming the Nats will be out of town within 5 years.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter as well.

Reading some of the comments on the site, you'd be surprised how many Nats-haters seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that the team is contractually locked in to DC for another 27 years.  Pretty much every O's site or article you go to, there's somebody claiming the Nats will be out of town within 5 years.

They also fail to realize that Baltimore has lost a professional baseball team THREE times.

[tomterp]

They also fail to realize that Baltimore has lost a professional baseball team THREE times.

That was just one old geezer from Annapolis.  Most folks recognize the major problem is the franchise itself.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

That was just one old geezer from Annapolis.  Most folks recognize the major problem is the franchise itself.

I said that not necessarily based on the comments on that page but just in general when talking with O's fans online and in person.  A lot of them don't realize it.  Even worse for them, one of their former incarnations turned into today's New York Yankees.  How about them apples?

But yes, the franchise's current problems is caused by their franchise.  Not anyone else.

[spidernat]

Pretty much every O's site or article you go to, there's somebody claiming the Nats will be out of town within 5 years.

What do they base this on?

[NatsAddict]

What do they base this on?

[CALSGR8]

This was my comment:

You know I always wonder how you say NATS fans are affecting Baltimore Attendance when in actuality, they rarely play on the same date! Its not drawing people away from you, if you're out of town when the NATS play at home. In fact, I think it was last year that the Orioles drew their lowest crowd ever when the NATS were out of town. Don't blame the NATS coming here for your troubles! The Orioles are horrible. They at times have gotten rid of fan favorite players. They treated Elrod Hendrix' situation shoddily! YOU WONDER WHY DC AREA fans aren't flocking to Camden Yards? Maybe McPhail can turn things around, but only if Angelos keeps his paws off and let the GMs do what they have to do! Don't blame the NATS. Blame Angelos.